Magic – II

15 YEAR OLD SEES LITTLE HOPE

Here is the sad tale of Alex Zaragoza, a Peoria, Illinois teen “quickly running out of chances to be the first openly gay anything.” It’s funny — satire from The Onion — but in its way, wonderfully true.

HOW DO THEY *MAKE* THESE ADS?

I mean, do the Norwegians even have the budget for this? Good for them! Ninety seconds. (Thanks, Mike.)

HOW THEY DO THAT MAGIC?

Marty Rosen: “Et tu, Andy? You’ve transformed me from a political middle-of-the-roader into a left-leaning middle-of-the-roader — but I want to chastise you (politely) for encouraging the exposure of magic secrets. I am a magician — though it’s not my real job* — and I’m speculating that your readership has a greater proportion of magic hobbyists than is found in the general population. Regardless, as you imply, it is wrong to reveal magical deceptions. You excuse your behavior by noting that we all have free will, so no one has to watch the video you linked to. Of course, that is true. But would you make it easier for the public to shoot up with heroin by advertising sites that permit easy access? (By doing so, you would not be requiring anyone to do drugs.) Or to eliminate the distinction for illegal as opposed to immoral activity, would you publicize the web sites that facilitate marital infidelity? (Adultery is not illegal, and everyone who has a significant other has the free will to decide whether to be loyal.) . . . In either case, you would be making it easier to do something that is generally accepted as wrong, and I would argue that you should not do so. In any of these cases, it is true that a determined individual can find a source for heroin, can easily locate avenues for marital cheating, and can surf the web himself to discover magic secrets. But one still doesn’t have to encourage the activity by making it easier to do so. . . . There is great magic on the web that does not provide disclosure. You linked to one such site. There are even several that have made it as TED talks (I personally like this one with Lennart Green. . . . Better yet, to foster an appreciation of magic, there’s nothing better than seeing it live (as long as it’s good magic, and not the kind that everyone’s uncle does). The next time you’re in L.A., visit the best magic club in the world, the Magic Castle. It’s a private club, so you need a connection to get in, but if you’re interested, let me know, and I’ll send you a guest pass. Or I’ll take you there in person if you have any interest.”

* Q: What’s the difference between a magician and a pizza?
A: A pizza feeds a family of four.